


Heart Dropping Like a Conn-Pod

by Raine_Wynd



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Chuck Lives, Crack, Fae Magic, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mpreg, Oral Sex, PTSD, Unplanned Pregnancy, file under things I never thought I'd write, one-night stands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:04:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raine_Wynd/pseuds/Raine_Wynd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A curse changes everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I blame too much work-related editing of dry, technical, and utterly boring stuff for this one.

Herc found Raleigh in the men's locker room near the kwoon, heaving his guts out. The smell made Herc's nose twitch, but he ignored it in favor of making sure the younger man was going to be ok. The toilet stalls had no doors; the steel had been sacrificed for the war effort.

“Thought I told you guys not to go eat anything in the Bone Slums,” Herc said, even as he grabbed a hand towel from the stash on the counter and wetted it down before handing it to Raleigh. “Take a deep breath and swallow.”

Still looking pale and green around the edges, Raleigh accepted the towel, wiped off his mouth, and flushed the toilet before standing. “Marshal.” The tone and posture spoke well of the paramilitary training Raleigh had received in the Academy, but his eyes pleaded for no questions. “Sorry I missed our appointment.” Raleigh breathed carefully.

Herc's eyes narrowed. “Cut the bullshit, Raleigh. I called you in because you’ve been sick a lot lately. You've never been much for drinking to excess, so either you have some horrible disease you're too embarrassed to talk about or you’ve been doing stupid shit with kaiju-derived products. Which is it?”

“Neither, sir.” A muscle worked in Raleigh's jaw before he said, “Considering I doubt you’ll believe me, I’d rather not say.”

Herc crossed his arms. “Try me.”

Raleigh took a deep breath, considered, and said, “No, sir.”

“Raleigh Becket, you will answer me.” Herc’s voice rang with command.

Still, Raleigh hesitated.

“Becket, I swear, if this is some kind of twisted joke, you will be scrubbing the helideck with a toothbrush –”

“I’m pregnant.”

Herc stared, shocked. "Men can’t get pregnant."

Raleigh snorted. “Lucky me, then, to be born a Becket.”

“What?”

“Never believed my dad when he said I should just forget about fucking guys because I could get pregnant,” Raleigh went on in that same resigned tone. “Especially towards the end when he was drunk more often than not.”

Herc eyed Raleigh warily. “Explain,” Herc snapped.

“Family curse,” Raleigh bit back. “Never took it seriously before, y’know? I mean, who would believe a story involving a pissed off fae, my grandfather, and her revenge on our family line.”

At that explanation, Herc's eyes narrowed. “What the fuck did you take, Ranger?!”

“Just your son’s dick up my ass. Excuse me.” At that, Raleigh turned and prayed to the porcelain god again, and the way he was heaving made Herc remember just how bad Angela’s morning sickness had been. That thought brought Herc up short. Did he really believe Raleigh’s story? Herc didn’t believe Raleigh to be a liar, but this…this was too incredulous to believe.

It didn’t take much effort to haul Raleigh down to the medical clinic for testing, on the off chance that he was drugged or sick. Once the medical staff determined that Raleigh was dehydrated from vomiting so much, Herc took the opportunity while Raleigh was hooked up to a saline solution to consult with the doctor for the lab results.

“I know it’s a medical impossibility, sir, but Raleigh is ten weeks pregnant.” The doctor favored Herc with a slightly pained smile, as if she couldn’t quite believe it either and had to quickly adjust her own paradigm. “Here’s the ultrasound; Raleigh has a uterus where he had none before, and see here, the gestational sac has formed, and the fetus is growing, here.”

Herc stared at the image on the screen. If this was real, then that was his grandchild. “We can't let this be news.”

The doctor nodded. “We can perform the delivery here, away from prying eyes. It’ll have to be a Cesarean; he can’t deliver the usual way. Won’t be the first time I’ve delivered a baby in a Shatterdome; usually, it’s one of the techs who's pregnant. We just aren’t set up for neonatal care...not yet anyway. We'll be rectifying that, with your permission, Marshal.”

Something about her calm tone got to Herc. “Raleigh’s not the first man you've seen like this.”

Dr. Fairchild smiled gently. “He is. I choose not to freak out about it. Nobody knows what he got exposed to, sealing the Breach, and I’m not his therapist.”

“Anyone who treats him, I want them cleared for need-to-know only,” Herc ordered, his mind racing. “Seal his medical record – only you, he, and I can authorize its release. Whatever else you need in terms of equipment and supplies, send the request to me and I'll take care of it.”

“Yes, Marshal. I’ll be in an moment to brief both of you.”

Herc returned to the treatment room where Raleigh waited, munching on crackers. “So, do you believe me?”

“Does my son know?”

“No," Raleigh said flatly. "I don’t intend to tell him either."

Herc had known the relationship between Raleigh and Chuck hadn't improved much with the sealing of the Breach; they were cordial and professional, but they weren’t friends. It hadn't helped that Chuck had trouble adjusting to the fact that he'd expected to die, but had only suffered bruises, a broken arm, and a concussion from being yanked into a high-speed escape pod at the last possible minute. "Why the fuck not?” Herc demanded.

Raleigh met Herc’s anger with a resigned calm. “Because it’s my fault we didn’t use a condom. Besides, my family curse, my responsibility for forgetting it could be true.”

Herc stared, his anger swiftly turning to shock and incredulity. “You can’t take this on alone, Raleigh.”

“I’ve heard that one before,” Raleigh said flatly.

“You’re not piloting a jaeger,” Herc shot back.

“No, but it is my body, my choice,” Raleigh retorted.

Herc closed his eyes briefly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You aren’t going to be able to hide it for very long.”

“I know. I figure I’d leave before that happened.”

“And where do you think you’re going?” Herc demanded. “Because if the answer is back to Alaska, you can forget it. That’s my grandchild you’re carrying. You will not risk yourself or that child on some backwater doctor out in the middle of nowhere. We have a good clinic right here, and whatever they can’t handle, Queen Mary Hospital’s a chopper ride away.”

From the look on Raleigh’s face, that was exactly what he’d been planning. “The press –”

“– will be handled. You are not alone, you understand? And if you’re thinking Chuck can’t handle the news, then you’ve underestimated him.”

“But –”

“If I have to handcuff you to a hospital bed to make sure you don’t do anything stupid, I will,” Herc shot back. “You will tell my son and you will stay here, under medical supervision, understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Raleigh’s face said volumes, but Herc didn’t care. He knew how impulsive Raleigh could be; knew, too, that three months of regular food hadn’t completely overcome five years of living on rations. Angela’s pregnancy had been rough, Herc remembered, and he’d had to hear about it long-distance; he’d been on active duty, unable to come home. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to be in Raleigh's shoes.

The doctor chose then to brief them.

“Well, I don’t know how you managed it,” Dr. Fairchild said dryly, “but congratulations, Raleigh, you’re pregnant.” She let that sink a moment before adding, “From the tests, it looks as though you’re about ten weeks along. Do you want to keep it?”

Raleigh jerked at that question, as if he hadn’t considered it an option.

“Riskier would be carrying this pregnancy to term,” Dr. Fairchild said bluntly. “Your body isn’t built to carry a child, and I’ll want to monitor to you every week, make sure you’re eating enough and are in good shape with the added stress a pregnancy brings. You’re still underweight. Have you slept since you closed the Breach?”

“More than I used to,” Raleigh admitted.

“Which is still less than what normal people should be sleeping.” Dr. Fairchild sighed. “But you’ve never been known for doing things the easy way, have you?”

That got Raleigh to smile briefly.

Dr. Fairchild went on, “So, Raleigh, I need a firm yes or no – are you keeping this baby?”

“Yes. If I knew I’d be piloting a jaeger again…” Raleigh shrugged, and then surprised Herc. “I’d still say yes.”

Briskly, as she’d expected that answer, Dr. Fairchild said, “All right then. That answer earns you a stay here overnight; I want to run a few more tests and see where your blood sugar levels, blood pressure, hormones, all those lovely things, are. I’ll send a nurse in to check where you are with that drip. I know you’re still getting used to having a regular food supply again, so making sure you’re eating enough is a concern. If you feel nauseous again, use the call button.”

Herc waited until after she'd left to ask, "So how’d you figure it out?”

“Mako figured me getting sick every day wasn’t normal, so she went and got a couple of pregnancy tests. I did three before I decided they weren’t lying to me.”

“And you didn’t think going to see the doctor would work, why?” Herc demanded.

Raleigh shrugged. “Figured no one would believe me, even after fighting alien monsters.”

Herc barked out a rueful laugh. “Fair enough. Don't worry about the videoconference we're having with the Council this afternoon; I'll make your excuses. Your secret stays here, understood? It's not a matter for the suit and ties to know.”

Raleigh looked so immensely grateful, Herc moved to clasp his shoulder. Stepping back, Herc warned, “I’ll send Chuck by. He’ll believe you more if you’re in here.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chuck wasn’t sure why his father was so insistent on checking in on Medical right after dinner – or why Herc was determined to make sure Chuck came along – but when he saw it was Raleigh on the hospital bed, Chuck began to understand why. 

Raleigh looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but stuck in bed. There were no obvious indications of injury, but Chuck had seen how lean Raleigh’s body had been before the Breach, had noticed how he’d seemed tired and sick all the time of late. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Chuck demanded. “Not food poisoning again.”

Raleigh chuckled dryly. “No. I’m pregnant and you’re the father.”

“Hah. Good one there, mate –” Chuck started, and the look on Raleigh’s face made him stop. Chuck glanced at his father, who stood near the door, arms crossed, waiting for him to accept this as truth. “You’re not joking.”

“No. I was here when they took the ultrasound and ran the blood tests earlier today,” Herc told him. “Congrats.”

Dazed, Chuck could only stare at Raleigh. “But…but how? I know you’re not transgender, Raleigh.”

“Becket family curse, courtesy of a fae my grandfather met. ‘May you meet the man of your dreams and bear his child,’” Raleigh explained. “My body changes just enough to carry a child, but getting it out requires surgery.”

“Come on, Raleigh, the fae aren’t real.”

“I said alien monsters weren’t real when I was ten and look where we are now,” Raleigh shot back. “Look, believe me or not, I’m still pregnant. In six months, I’ll have a baby to deliver. I wasn’t planning on asking you for anything, so you can –”

“Shut up, Raleigh. You knew this was a possibility.”

“Yeah, but in much the same way you think you’ll ride an elephant – you know you could, but it’s not damn likely. I put it out of my mind after Yancy died. I certainly wasn’t thinking of it that night we fucked.”

Chuck stared at him, trying to figure out the timing. “Bloody hell, Raleigh. You were pregnant when Stacker and I blew the payload.”

“Didn’t know I was until I started throwing up all the time.” Raleigh met his eyes, and the polite distance Chuck read made Chuck angry. “As I started to say, you’re not obligated here.”

“Bullshit I’m not. That’s my child you’re carrying, and if there’s one thing the old man taught me is that you don’t abandon your child.” Out of the corner of his eye, Chuck saw his father flinch slightly at that, the old guilt flashing across his face. Chuck stepped closer to Raleigh’s bed, blocking his view of Herc. “So get it out of your head, Raleigh; you’re stuck with me now.”

“If you’re going to do something impulsive like say you’ll marry me so the baby’s not a bastard, forget it,” Raleigh shot back. “I don’t want a shotgun wedding.”

“Neither do I,” Chuck retorted, stung, though the idea had crossed his mind. He studied Raleigh, who looked uncomfortable. Chuck rewound their conversation so far in his head and then narrowed his eyes. “Man of your dreams, huh? So why didn’t you come back for more after I healed up?”

Raleigh laughed shortly. “You said you’d always wanted to do certain things before you died, so I just figured we’d forget that night and move on. I quit putting stock in dreams when my brother died; got used to taking what I could get so I could survive.”

Chuck flinched at those cool, flat words. “And if I said –”

“Don’t promise me anything you honestly can’t deliver, Chuck. Just don’t. Right now, I’d rather have a friend than a lover.”

Chuck paused at that, mind racing as new possibilities became clear. “So, as a friend, is there anything I can do for you?”

“Can you get me something to read? I’m stuck here for the rest of the night and I’m kinda burned out on the Pregnancy 101 stuff Dr. Fairchild has been handing me to read.”

Chuck laughed. “Give me a few minutes.”

Walking back to his room, Chuck wasn’t surprised to find his father accompanying him. Mindful of the way sound traveled in the steel-lined hallways, Herc waited until Chuck shut the door before he spoke.

“Out with it, old man.”

“You’re handling this a lot better than I expected,” Herc said. “I freaked out when your mother said she was pregnant.”

Chuck took a deep breath. “I’d like to smack him for not telling me the truth sooner.”

“You hurt him, he could lose that baby.” Herc’s voice was cold with warning.

“You think I haven’t thought of that? I only fought him because I thought he wasn’t good enough to back us up; I wouldn’t fight him now, pregnant or not. He proved himself in spades.” Irritated, Chuck crossed his room quickly, heading for the desk that he’d left cluttered in his rush to head out that morning. “Men aren’t supposed to be pregnant – that alone could kill him.” The words struck Chuck as soon as he said them and he had to force himself to breathe. He couldn’t lose Raleigh; he just couldn’t. 

Herc’s eyes widened. “Do you love him?”

“Not yet,” Chuck admitted. “Got used to thinking all we got was that one night and we’d be professional – friendly but not friends. But…” He took a deep breath and met his father’s eyes, aware that all the years of Drifting with him had left their mark. No one knew him better; no one knew just how they were mirrors of each other, and how hard Herc had tried to make Chuck see how not to repeat his mistakes. Chuck exhaled carefully and finished with, “I don’t want to spend my kid’s life regretting I didn’t have a better relationship with his mother.”

Herc closed his eyes briefly. “I loved your mom, Chuck.”

“I know.” Words were exchanged in a single look. 

“You and Raleigh.”

“You think I could do better?” Chuck shot back.

Herc half-chuckled. “Stacker and I used to fear you and Mako would wind up together – either as pilots or romantically.”

Chuck laughed. “She’s my best friend. Didn’t think Raleigh was good enough for her pet project – even if it was his old jaeger.”

“And who would’ve been?” Herc wondered.

Chuck shook his head, laughing ruefully. “In hindsight? I can’t imagine it not being Raleigh.” Chuck paused as a thought occurred to him. “That curse…sounds like it wouldn’t work with just anybody. It would have to be someone you were really into.”

Herc laughed shortly. “Sure sounded like it,” he agreed. “But Raleigh’s not going to trust you with his heart just because of it, either. You haven’t been in a relationship and he’s had his heart broken.”

“By whom?” Chuck demanded.

Herc shook his head. “Just a guess. Like recognizes like.”

Chuck sighed. “Well, that sucks. You heard him – he quit dreaming. You always told me that to quit dreaming is to start dying.”

Herc cocked an eyebrow. “Gonna prove him wrong?”

“Or something.” Chuck unearthed his tablet from underneath his leather jacket and looked at his father. “You’re not yelling me for knocking someone up.”

Herc laughed shortly. “You’re a few months sooner than me, but you’ll be twenty-two when your child’s born, if everything goes well. Just…” Herc swallowed and added, “Don’t fuck this up, Charles.” 

His rarely used birth name meant his father was serious, and Chuck cracked a half-smile. “That’s the plan.”


	3. Chapter 3

Raleigh had to admit, Chuck surprised him. He’d shown up with a tablet, then lingered, talking about the videoconference Raleigh had missed. The entire future of the PPDC had been on hold while the politicians had debated, but finally, they’d gotten the go-ahead to proceed with K-science research and the construction of jaegers to assist with reconstruction. Both men were excited for future of the program; their success in closing the Breach had resulted in hasty reinstatement by the UN and backdating of when, exactly, that reinstatement had occurred. Mako had gracefully stepped into the role of Herc’s second-in-all-but-name, continuing the position she’d been in when her father was alive, while a search for a suitable assistant marshal was conducted. 

Raleigh hadn’t expected, either, that Chuck would insist on being there when he was released from Medical, or that he’d grill Dr. Fairchild for the schedule of when Raleigh was supposed to report for his checkups. When Dr. Fairchild had hesitated, Raleigh quickly requested that Chuck, as the baby’s other parent, be added to the authorized list of people who could know what was going on with Raleigh’s pregnancy.

Having expected to be alone in this new phase of his life, Raleigh was grateful to find he not only had Mako, but Chuck and Herc as well. Still, he knew the curse didn’t guarantee a happy ending, and he silently hoped that medical science could overcome magic in this case.

If it didn't, he was a dead man.


	4. Chapter 4

“Again, mate?” Chuck asked, swallowing hard against the smell of vomit as he stepped into the restroom closest to the conference room just off LOCCENT. “You were supposed to be done with morning sickness a week ago.” Still, he grabbed a hand towel and wet it before passing it over to Raleigh, still bent over the toilet bowl.

Raleigh breathed carefully before accepting the towel and flushing. Wiping his mouth, he sat back on his heels and exhaled before accepting Chuck’s assistance to stand. “Yeah, well, Dr. Fairchild warned me I might still get sick if I smelled something wrong.”

“Tendo’s onion bagels?” Chuck hazarded.

“Yeah.” Raleigh dropped the hand towel into the trash.

“Smell something else, then.” Chuck stepped closer and folded Raleigh into his arms, hoping that the clean shirt he was wearing was enough to counter the nausea Raleigh was feeling.

Raleigh stiffened slightly, but took a deep breath before leaning into the embrace. “Thanks,” he said finally before stepping back.

“You gonna be okay?” Chuck dug into the left pocket of his cargo pants for the package of saltines he’d taken to carrying and passed them over to Raleigh. 

“These’ll help,” Raleigh said gratefully.

Chuck waited until Raleigh had finished the package before studying him. “Color’s better. You know you don’t have to prove you’re tougher than the rest, Raleigh.”

Raleigh half-smiled at that. “Not trying to prove anything, Chuck. So I take it I’m supposed to be somewhere and I’m late?”

“Not late. The marshal wants to talk about what fiction we’re going to give for your pregnancy.”

Raleigh paused at that. Chuck, he’d learned, didn’t refer to his father by his title unless it involved PPDC business. “Other people there?”

Chuck nodded and produced a shirt he’d rolled into his right cargo pocket. “Director of communications and the attorney, and the old man figured you were probably tossing your cookies again,” he said apologetically as he handed the shirt over. “I tried finding Mako to get you one of your shirts, but she was busy. This one’s from Supply, so it’s a little creased, but it’ll look better than the one you’re wearing.”

Raleigh stripped off the vomit-stained shirt he’d been wearing without a second hesitation and tossed it in the trash. The tan shirt fit loosely on him, but it was simply adorned with the PPDC logo on the shirtsleeve. Too long of a time in its packaging had rendered stiff creases in the fabric, but once Raleigh tucked the shirt into his pants, the creases were less noticeable. “Remind me to give you the key code to my quarters so you don’t have to go ask Mako,” Raleigh said. “Which reminds me, we should probably start getting some baby furniture and stuff.”

Chuck nodded. “Thought you, me, and Mako could go into the city tomorrow and see what’s there to get.” He steered Raleigh into the hallway, not wanting to linger in the restroom.

“Dr. Fairchild pointed me to a pregnancy website that has a list of stuff to get. We could probably order a lot of it online.”

“And spend a fortune,” Chuck argued. “We’re not in America or Australia, mate; we’re in Hong Kong, which means neither of us knows what will be allowed to go through Customs and what won’t. Open port or not, it’s still a crapshoot as to what we can get, according to Tendo.”

“Right. Well, we’ll see what we can get locally, then,” Raleigh agreed. 

It didn’t take them long to get to the conference room, where they soon learned what the official story would be. Raleigh was pregnant; the PPDC had decided his exposure to the Anteverse combined with the nuclear detonation of Striker Eureka would be sufficient explanation for the aberration. Chuck would be named as father, and they were expected to act as a couple for any forthcoming interviews. Chuck, no stranger to scandalous headlines about his behavior, thought that the PPDC was being unusually honest.

“You’re basically insinuating that something might be wrong with Mako,” Raleigh had argued.

“You were able to trigger her escape pod before you were too deep into the Anteverse, correct?” the lawyer had said.

“Yes.”

“Then we don’t anticipate any issues.”

Later, in the privacy of Raleigh’s quarters, Raleigh ranted to Chuck. “I didn’t expect them to use the truth to lie. Not like this.”

“You’re talking about people who called what happened to you and your brother ‘an unfortunate tragedy’ and made me believe that you ran,” Chuck shot back. “I had no idea what it took for you to bring Gipsy to shore after your brother died. None. Didn’t believe the speculation, either. The old man never said you’d finished that job solo, not until you were doing the test run with Mako. All the official press said that Yancy died and you’d been discharged after a brief hospital stay.”

Raleigh did a double take. “They covered it up.”

Chuck nodded. “Couldn’t tell the whole truth, now, could they? Public would panic if they knew one of their esteemed jaeger pilots had gotten eaten alive and that the other pilot barely survived the neural load. After you rescued us, I asked the old man the questions I should’ve been asking when he told me that Stacker went to get you. Why are you so surprised by this? They’re just running with a suggestion the marshal and your doctor had; they don’t know the real truth.”

Raleigh sighed. “Just…hate lies.” He stepped closer and hugged Chuck.

“So do I,” Chuck agreed, his arms rising to hold Raleigh close. If either man lingered a little longer than was appropriate for the friends they’d become, that was something neither of them mentioned.


	5. Chapter 5

Raleigh stood on the helipad, enjoying the night air. He was six months pregnant, the baby was kicking, and he was feeling a little homesick, missing the majesty of Alaska. Not for the first time, he thought about going back, but he wouldn't leave, not now, not when his relationship with Chuck was going so well. Much to his surprise, they’d become friends. Chuck had spent his teenage years buried in jaeger mechanics as his pastime when not fighting kaiju or exercising to be stronger. He used the excuse (and both of them knew it was one) that Raleigh had to help him catch up on movies and shows he’d missed to convince Raleigh he needed to rest a bit more. 

Raleigh knew Chuck cared about him, but he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just because of the baby. It made Raleigh wish Chuck was in love with him, that this was something they’d both wanted and had planned for instead of it happening accidentally. Then again, Raleigh might not have gotten pregnant. He was sure the curse only worked if he fucked a guy who wasn’t in love with him, who’d then reject him for being a freak, and then leave him to suffer through the agony of a pregnancy that wasn’t meant to come to term. Raleigh knew his nausea had abated as soon as Chuck started to show that he was prepared to deal with it, but then the body aches had started, Raleigh’s insomnia had worsened, and Raleigh had become incredibly horny, as if the curse was determined to make itself known every moment that Raleigh didn’t spend with Chuck.

Footsteps alerted him he was no longer alone, and he tugged down his shirt, hoping it would hide his shape, as if Chuck didn’t already know he looked like he was carrying a small melon. He’d deliberately been avoiding Chuck, aware that he was feeling more emotional and hormonal than usual, but from the sound of buckles on boot leather, it looked like his luck had run out. He couldn't run fast enough back into the shadows, and he knew the light on the helipad would've outlined him.

“Raleigh?” Chuck's footsteps slowed as he approached. “Damn it, I’ve been looking all over for you. What the hell are you doing out here?”

“Got feeling a little trapped in there,” Raleigh admitted.

“Ah. Well, for the sake of my sanity, would you please step away from the edge there?”

Raleigh glanced down, realizing abruptly just how far he’d walked and how it would look. Sheepishly, he backed away until he was in front of Chuck, who looked relieved. “Sorry about that. I did warn you my mind’s a bit mushy, didn’t I?”

“You have PTSD and you’re pregnant,” Chuck said shortly, rolling his eyes. “You’re allowed to have a mushy brain, but it’s my duty to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

“Is it now?” Raleigh challenged.

“Yeah. You’re my bub’s mama.”

Raleigh laughed at that phrasing, suddenly free of the weight he’d been feeling all day. “Mama?! I’m not –”

“You’re the one carrying the sprog, not me.” Chuck looked inordinately pleased by this. “So you’re mama.” Chuck’s voice was firm. “You’ve been avoiding me all day. Something I did?”

“No, just – ” Raleigh let out a breath and tried to tell himself that he shouldn’t feel embarrassed. Chuck had sat with him through enough appointments at this point that Raleigh felt like he’d been more naked than the time they’d had sex.

“Just what, Raleigh?”

Raleigh cleared his throat. “Horny. Didn’t feel right to jump you.”

“Why, because we’ve been dating for months without even a good night kiss?” Chuck shot back, amused. “Telling people we don’t indulge in public displays of affection because it’s not proper conduct for Rangers who aren’t married? I’ve been waiting on you, Ranger Becket.” Chuck closed the distance between them and reached for Raleigh.

“Figured, ah, figured we’d wait until after our son’s born,” Raleigh said, a little desperately. He remembered the last time Chuck had waited for him – surprising him in his quarters, talking in that low, husky, sexy tone, convincing Raleigh to introduce him to something he’d never experienced.

One eyebrow went up in disbelief. “I’m surprised you’ve held out this long.”

“Didn’t want you to feel obligated.”

Chuck laughed shortly. “Obligation has nothing to do with how sexy I think you are.”

“Chuck –” Raleigh started, feeling the heat rise up between them, and he wasn’t quite sure whether he was protesting that Chuck found him sexy, even as pregnant as he was, or that Chuck wanted him.

“Am I that horrible at gay sex?” Chuck asked, his breath on Raleigh’s ear before he nibbled on Raleigh’s neck. 

“No,” Raleigh said. “I’m just…pregnant, can’t think, ahh, Chuck.” 

His mouth against Raleigh’s skin, Chuck laughed and investigated the hollow of his collarbone where it peeked out above the neckline of Raleigh’s shirt just to see how sensitive Raleigh was.

Unconsciously, Raleigh shuddered and clutched Chuck’s arms. “Don’t make me come in public, please,” he pleaded breathlessly, and Chuck grinned.

“A little hair-trigger tonight?” Chuck asked, amused.

“Hormones,” Raleigh said roughly. 

“Can’t have that,” Chuck agreed.

Not trusting that tone of voice, Raleigh deliberately pulled his upper body out of licking range. “If you want to fuck me, you better not carry me anywhere in the next ten minutes unless it’s into a bed and we’re already in either your room or mine.”

“You’re a hard man to please,” Chuck replied, but he clasped Raleigh’s hand and led the way to his quarters, which were closer.

Once the door was shut, Raleigh surrendered to the need clawing through him and kissed Chuck with all the desire he felt. Chuck seemed surprised by the ferocity. “Easy, I got you, we have all night,” he soothed.

“Want you so bad, Chuck, want to suck you so you can fuck me, missed you,” Raleigh said as he tried to shove Chuck’s shirt off. He didn’t know where this need was coming from, only that Chuck was the only one who could satisfy it.

“Shh, you’ll get that, Raleigh,” Chuck said, kissing him. “Let me drive, all right? I want you too but I don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself.”

Raleigh acknowledged that with a whimper. He’d been horny all day and masturbating hadn’t eased the ache. Stepping back, he disrobed himself with all the efficiency learned as a jaeger pilot and watched Chuck do the same. When Chuck was finished, Raleigh carefully dropped to his knees and began to suck on Chuck’s half-hard cock, craving the feel and taste. 

The concrete floor was cold and hard, but Raleigh pushed that thought out of his head in favor of learning, again, what worked to make Chuck stutter out his name. He could feel Chuck getting close, and reluctantly pulled back as he felt Chuck reach for him so together they could be on the bed.

It took them a little bit to figure out a position that worked for both of them, but they managed readily enough. Chuck was tentative at first, not wanting his thrusts to hurt, but Raleigh pushed back, wanting more. Desire quickly became a hungry animal, and even as they fed its hunger, Raleigh was aware that Chuck was in control, not wanting to hurt him. The heart Raleigh had been guarding unlocked its doors and reached for the love Chuck was willing to give, and it made cresting passion’s wave all the sweeter.

In the aftermath, Chuck rose and tenderly cleaned them both up. “Stay, please.” Chuck requested. “My bed’s big enough for both of us.”

“How’d you manage that?” Raleigh wondered.

“Part of a deal I made with the old man. I told him if he ever became marshal, I wanted a bigger bed and my own room. He kept his promise.”

“What did he get in return?”

“If I tell you,” Chuck said dryly, “you won’t be able to look at him straight-faced anymore, so we’ll leave it.”

“Let me guess, it has to do with a pair of Joe Cool boxers?” Raleigh asked.

“How do you know about that?” Chuck demanded, surprised.

“Because it’s a gag gift from my brother as thanks for helping us deal with our first three-jaeger drop,” Raleigh said, grinning. “Yancy got us all Joe Cool boxers. I had the pleasure of running around and trying to figure out how to get everything to everyone in time for Christmas.”

Chuck groaned. “The old man loved them so much he bought more. You know how hard it is to take anyone serious when they’re wearing cartoon boxers?”

“Which is why Yancy did it. Everyone thought he was the serious one, but no, he just hid it better since he was older than me and had the time to practice.”

Chuck cuddled Raleigh closer, spooning him so that Raleigh lay comfortably on his side, his back to Chuck’s front. “I used to wonder what it would be like to meet you two. The old man said he tried to get you guys to stick around long enough so we could meet, but he said you’d been ordered back.”

Raleigh nodded. “Yeah, the brass wasn’t too thrilled about us going after one kaiju with three jaegers. They thought it was overkill, even though that kaiju was the biggest we’d seen to that point and we almost lost Horizon Brave. So even though we were proven right, they ordered us back to Alaska; said that Australia was getting a new jaeger and they’d be fine without any extra help. I don’t know who was more upset, Yancy or Herc, but Yancy knew we all needed a laugh either way. Hence the boxers.” Raleigh paused. “Sometimes I swear I can still hear him, and I have to remind myself it’s because he left part of his brain in mine.”

“Mako’s been drowning her grief in work,” Chuck noted.

“Not as much as the first three months,” Raleigh corrected. “I talked to her; told her it was okay that she was putting so much work in but she needed to make sure she took care of herself, too. She’ll be okay. Me being pregnant is giving her something new to focus on. I’m almost terrified to find out what she has stashed away; I can’t remember when I’ve had this many clothes.”

“I worry about her,” Chuck said quietly. “She’s been my best friend forever, even when I’ve been a right shit about getting to pilot before her.”

“I know,” Raleigh said. “She forgave you a long time ago because you still let her play with Max, which meant you weren’t that angry.”

“Am I that transparent?” Chuck demanded.

“Sometimes, yeah.”

Chuck laughed ruefully before climbing carefully out of the bed to switch off the light and then returning. Pulling up the covers over them both, he warned, “If you need to get up to pee, remember that the toilet’s to the right, not the left like it is in your room.”

“Thanks. Good night, Chuck.”

“Night, Raleigh. Okay if I hold you?” 

“Your arm is gonna fall asleep,” Raleigh warned, but he shifted until they were both comfortable. He lay awake as Chuck fell asleep, afraid to dream, but exhaustion soon claimed him. He woke the next morning to find Chuck kissing him awake, which quickly devolved into a mutual hand job session.

“If this is how I’ll wake up every morning,” Chuck said, leering at Raleigh, “then you can sleep here every night.”

Raleigh paused, considering. He knew he’d slept better, and it wasn’t a hardship at all to watch Chuck fall apart in passion.

“Deal,” he said finally. 

Chuck blinked, as if he’d not expected that answer, then grinned widely before leaning in to kiss Raleigh sweetly.


	6. Chapter 6

Worried, Chuck paced the small waiting area. He’d gone with Raleigh to the Australian consulate to find out what paperwork needed to be filled out for their son’s birth certificate; the web site had indicated that it had to be completed in person. A late season thunderstorm had swept into the area while they were out, making landing on the ‘dome’s helipad a rocky affair. Though Raleigh hadn’t said anything, Chuck had seen him rub the small of his back repeatedly throughout the day, and Raleigh’s insomnia had only worsened in the last two weeks. The rough landing – and Raleigh almost tripping as he got out of the helicopter – had convinced Chuck to steer Raleigh to Medical as soon as they entered the elevator.

Finally, the head nurse emerged. “Congratulations, it’s a boy. You can go in and see Raleigh and your son now, but only for a few minutes. The doctor doesn’t want to stress out Raleigh too much; his blood pressure’s still a bit high.”

Chuck nodded at the warning. He stepped into the patient care room to see that Raleigh was holding a small bundle in his right arm.

For a moment, Chuck froze, but he forced himself to move forward. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired, and I still hurt a bit,” Raleigh admitted. “I didn’t want them shoot me full of painkillers just yet. Come closer and meet our son.”

Chuck fell instantly in love. His son was large and wrinkly, and a small patch of red hair was on his head, but he had blue eyes and ten toes and ten fingers and Chuck thought he could see Raleigh in his face. “What,” Chuck’s voice cracked and he had to swallow hard, “what did you decide to name him?” They’d debated long and hard, narrowing it down to a handful of choices, but Raleigh had insisted that if Chuck won the citizenship debate, then he got to choose what their child’s name was.

“Alexander,” Raleigh said. “Alex for short.”

“It’s a good name,” Chuck said, marveling at the size of his newborn son. He was almost the length of Chuck’s forearm, and felt like he weighed at least six pounds. “I like it.”

Alexander chose then to whimper, and Chuck reluctantly surrendered him to a nearby nurse. “We’ll bring him back soon,” she promised them. “He needs to eat and get some measurements taken.” 

Chuck turned his focus onto Raleigh, who looked worn out and in pain. “Hey. No need to prove you’re a tough guy just for me. I get it. I got it a long time ago.”

“I know, but...” Raleigh favored Chuck with a smile. “Don’t wanna miss anything.”

Chuck leaned over and kissed him sweetly. “You’re not,” he promised.

Raleigh reached for Chuck’s hand and clasped it. “Listen, when they spring him, will you take care of him? I don’t think I’m getting out of here anytime soon.”

Chuck glared at Raleigh, insulted. “Of course I’ll take care of our son.”

Raleigh laughed, wincing as it pulled at his stitches, but Chuck read the sudden flash of fear that crossed his face. 

“Hey. None of that now,” Chuck told him. “We’re going to get through this together, you, me, and Alexander.”

Raleigh squeezed his hand before letting go. “Listen, I’m kinda tired,” he said. “You don’t have to hang around here watching me sleep.”

“I’ll check back later after dinner,” Chuck promised, but something made him lean up and kiss Raleigh again. “You get some rest, okay?”

Mako met Chuck just outside Medical. “How are they?” she asked. “The marshal is in a meeting, but he promised he’d be here as soon as he could.”

“Raleigh’s resting,” Chuck told her, not surprised by the news his father was busy. “We have a son – 3.4 kilograms in weight, 40.64 centimeters in length. He has my hair, looks like Raleigh,” he added proudly.

Mako smiled. “Congratulations. Did you want my help moving the crib and changing table into your room from storage? I know you wanted to surprise Raleigh with them.”

“Please,” Chuck nodded gratefully. “Damn it. Forgot I still need to put that table together. Wasn’t expecting Alexander to be born today.”

Mako smiled gently. “I’ll help.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Ranger Charles Hansen, please report to Medical immediately. Ranger Charles Hansen –” the station’s computer blared half an hour later, startling both Chuck and Mako.

“Go,” Mako urged him. “I’ll finish the table.”

Chuck had the sudden, terrifying realization that if what enabled Raleigh to be pregnant was a curse, it made no sense for both Raleigh and the baby to live. The best revenge would be to lose both after coming this far, thus guaranteeing that the Becket line would end with much pain. Swearing, Chuck dropped the wrench he’d been using and ran out of his room. His heart dropping like a conn-pod into a jaeger, Chuck made the dash to Medical, only to be brought up short by his father.

“Stop, breathe, and look at me,” Herc ordered, grabbing his arms.

Chuck fought instinctively, but Herc was stronger. “Listen to me before you go charging anywhere else,” Herc commanded.

“Raleigh and Alexander – are they okay?”

“No, but the doctor is working to get them stabilized.”

“I need to be in there,” Chuck said, certain of it. 

Herc shook his head. “They won’t let you be in there,” he said firmly, and Chuck knew he was right, but he couldn’t shake the sense he should be.

“That’s my family,” Chuck shot back.

“I know, but you need to let the docs do what they do best,” Herc reassured him as he let go of Chuck.

Chuck looked at his father, the unaccustomed ice-chill of fear in his veins. “I can’t lose them, Dad. I can’t. Raleigh can’t die. Not like this. Not because of some fucked up curse. We’re supposed to raise Alexander together.”

Herc’s eyes widened. “You’re in love,” he marveled.

“Raleigh’s amazing. Have you seen my son?” Chuck shot back incredulously.

Hearing the echo of his own tangled love and pride in his son’s voice, Herc froze a moment before laughing ruefully and patting his son’s shoulder. “Let me see what’s going on. Be right back.”

When Herc returned, his face was grim. Without a word, he steered Chuck to the surgical prep area and ordered, “Wash your hands and put on the gown, mask, and gloves and then follow Vi here.” The nurse in question waited just behind Herc, in front of a door marked ‘Medical Personnel Only.’

Chuck did as ordered, then followed Vi into what he knew to be the combined ER and ICU section of the small but fully equipped clinic. He’d spent some time in this unit after his return from the Breach, but he couldn’t shake the sense of doom that had settled in his stomach. Upon seeing Dr. Fairchild waiting for him just inside the doors, Chuck’s fear grew.

“They’re stable for the moment,” she said, stopping Chuck. “Raleigh coded once and your son stopped breathing, but we got them back.” Her voice was tight. “Their vitals are spiking, so if you have something to say, now’s the time.”

“Where are they?” Chuck demanded.

Dr. Fairchild pointed to the curtained-off area in the far corner and Chuck ran to it. Some thoughtful soul had put Alexander’s pediatric ICU unit near the head of Raleigh’s bed, and Chuck was grateful for that now.

Mindful of all the wires and tubes, Chuck leaned over Raleigh’s face. Half-tempted to kiss him like he was Sleeping Beauty, Chuck reined in the urge at the last second and settled for tucking his hand in Raleigh’s. “Don’t you dare leave me alone, Raleigh. I wish you could Drift with me to see how I feel, but since you can’t…I love you. I love our son.”

As if that had been the magic words, Raleigh’s breathing evened out, and the warning beeping of both Raleigh’s and Alexander’s monitors stopped.

Shocked to the core, Chuck’s eyes widened as he realized what had just happened. “I swear I’ll tell you again every day of my life,” he promised. “Don’t care if my old man razzes me for it. You just get better so you can come home. Both of you.”

And Chuck kept his promise (until Raleigh finally told him, six months later, that he didn’t have to keep doing it; the curse was broken that first time, but if Chuck wanted to, Raleigh was more than happy to let him, and Chuck had to kiss him for being so stupidly in love, and also, because it was either to kiss him or hit him and Chuck had sworn he was never going to hit him again), and they lived happily ever after.

The End


End file.
